She'll Be Home
by Ezra-fitzturkey
Summary: Happiness, is like the old man told me, look for it, but you'll never find it all, but let it go, live your life and leave it, then one day wake up and she'll be home...
1. Chapter 1

After Graduation Aria and the other girls left Rosewood, they all split up into the open world with nothing holding them back.

Emily went to Paris with Alison, Hanna and Caleb went to California, Spencer went to UPenn, getting a near by apartment with Toby, and Aria took some time for herself and traveled.

Okay, maybe it wasn't exactly a choice to not bring Ezra with her. He insisted that she take the time and grow into who she wants to be.

So, after she graduated, she started talking to Johnny -the boy in Spencer's back yard barn as Hanna would call him- and they left.

Going to many places, seeing different things, meeting new people. After about a year she finally decided to give college another chance.

So she applied to a few and ended up at Hollis, surprisingly, she felt homesick. She wanted to be near her family for a while.

She didn't plan on staying long, no more than a year. But that was until one day came...

September 1st, 2013.  
Aria walked into The Brew, her recently titled boyfriend Johnny by her side.

The Brew hadn't really changed, maybe a few new menu items but other than that it was the same little coffee shop she used to spend her time at.

It was different not having Emily behind the counter, instead another girl who looked to be in highschool was the one running the place.

Aria motioned for Johnny to take a seat on the couch in the back while she ordered.

She walked up to the counter, looking at the menu in front of her. "Can I get a regular latte and..." She paused, looking at the brownies in the cake holder. "One of those?"

The girl nodded, "Coming right up!" She smiled at Aria then walked to the back room.

Music softly played throughout the room, it was a familiar song... Too familiar. Why couldn't she place it?

"B-26, it's always on in here." The girl said, assuming the music was what Aria was thinking about.

Aria smiled, Listening to the soft melody. "I love this song."

"You have something in common with the owner then. He refuses to take it off the playlist." She sat a cup and a small box in front of Aria, "Even though it plays every hour on the hour."

Aria scoffed, "I'd do the same thing." She sat the money on the counter and took her order over to Johnny.

Before reaching the couch she turned around to face the girl again, "Who's the owner?" She called out.

"Ezra Fitz."

"That's what I thought.." She muttered to herself, continuing to sit next to Johnny.

XXX A/N: Heyyyyy y'all! Okay so, I know this isn't the best, but I've had serious writers block lately and this is what broke free from it. I have tons of ideas for this story, and as long as y'all want it, I'll update. So favorite, follow, review, enjoy! Y'all can also follow me on twitter /HalesHalloween so yeah. Bye! 


	2. Chapter 2

Aria had got a phone call later that day from Emily and Alison saying that everyone was coming home for Labor Day.

It had always been a pretty big weekend for the 5 girls, so it didn't surprise her that they wanted to set up dinner at the Apple Grille.

Around 6:20 Aria started getting ready, after she turned 18 she completely changed her style.  
She wasn't the girl that wore comic book themed dresses and leather everything else.

She cut her hair to drop just below the length of her face, high-lighted it with dirty blonde, and threw out all of her over-the-top outfits.

Now a days she usually just wears whatever she feels like that day, sometimes it's a pair of skinny jeans, a t-shirt and boots, other days it's a floral jumper and sandals.

She'd changed a lot in the year that she had traveled. The time away really did impact her life.

Though she wished at the time that Ezra hadn't broke things off for her sake, it turned out better than she would have ever thought.

Snapping back to reality, Aria sat down on her old bed and picked up her phone.

7:12 pm.

She still had an hour to kill before seeing her friends, sitting around the house doing nothing isn't fonna make timw go faster, so she jumped up and grabbed the pair of raybans on her bedside table and headed downstairs. back to Town she went.

xxxxx

Aria stopped in front of Lucky Leons Cupcakes, debating whether or not to pick some up.

She was gonna be meeting the girls soon, but cupcakes could be a good greeting.

Just before walking inside someone walked out, someone too familiar for Aria's liking.

"She's been there over a year, she can handle-...Let me call you back." He put his phone in his pocket, looking down at Aria.

"You look like you've seen a ghost.." Aria attempted to break the awkward silence. It didn't really make either of them any more comfortable.

"What are you doing here?" Ezra asked, moving out of the doorway of Lucky Leons.

"That's settle." Aria crossed her arms, following him to the side of the building.

"You know what I mean, you spent all of high school trying to get out of here."

Aria shrugged, leaning on a brick wall while Ezra sat at a table beside her. "I'm going to Hollis. I know, crazy right?"

"Very...What happened to traveling?" Ezra leaned back in the chair, Aria sighed then sat the seat across from him. "I got tired, bored, I missed the drama."

Ezra scoffed, knowing that the last part wasn't true. "You cut your hair, it looks nice." He gave her a slight smile.

Aria nodded, "Yeah, I needed a change.." Suddenly feeling guilty about everything that happened while she was traveling, Aria stood back up and brushed a piece of hair behind her ear.

"I have to-...I have to go. It was...nice..to see you again."

"Yeah...Am I gonna see you again?" Ezra stood, putting his hands in his pockets.

"I hope so," she smiled lightly, "I'll stop by tonight...The brew, I'll stop by the brew."  
Before she could make an even bigger fool of herself she started walking off.

What are the odds that she see her ex boyfriend on their anniversary? In rosewood? A million in one.

xxxx

A/N: Decently short, I know, but I don't wanna pack too much into one chapter, considering I plan on the next chapter being a long one with the girls and their current lives.  
So, I hope y'all enjoyed my very awkward Ezria moment, more awkward times to come. Let me know what y'all think and I'll get started on the next one! Byee =) 


	3. Chapter 3

Aria walked into the Grille, standing in front of the door while she looked through the room, trying to spot her ex-best friends.

Why did she even agree to meet them after so long? Why was it such a bif deal all of a sudden? Why did they pick this weekend to get together?

Aria felt a tap on her shoulder, snapping her back to reality. When she turned around she was greeted with a familiar smile.

"Em? You look.." Aria studied Emily up and down, she was pretty much the same. More make-up, more dressy, less High school tom-boy.

"Amazing? I picked it out." Hanna walked up behind Emily and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Well, she picked it out via facetime." Emily directed the two girls towards a table nearby.

"I still picked it out." Hanna muttered in almost a whisper to Aria.

Hanna hadn't really changed either, she cut her hair a little shorter, but other than that she was the same Hanna.

Not long after sitting down, Alison and Spencer came in together and sat down.

Alison sat at the end of the table, Aria beside Emily, and Hanna beside Spencer.

Alison looked more mature, Spencer hadn't changed at all. Out of all of them, Aria was the one who'd changed the most. She was basically a stranger to the others.

But that was because she didn't change during high-school like the other girls did. She waited, she didn't think she needed change.  
Boy, was she wrong.

Everyone ordered, and started making small talk, eventually it came down to who's with who.

Spencer and Toby broke up, she got drunk, hooked up with a guy in a bar, and then they'd started dating. She never mentioned the guy's name because she wanted to make sure it was serious first. Which was understandable. If it was just a lust not love relationship you -being the 'smartest' in the group- wouldn't want to admit it.

Emily and Alison are together, everyone saw that coming, they'd adopted little puppy babies together and are currently sharing an apartment in downtown New York.

Hanna and Caleb had an off and on relationship, they'd fight, she'd go stay with a friend she had met in college, they'd get back together and then everything would start over. But they still loved each other, through thick and thin, they had each other's backs.

And then, there was Aria. "Did you and Ezra ever get back together? Is that why we haven't heard a thing from you all night?" Alison asked innocently.

Aria shook her head, "I'm actually still with Johnny." She smiled. She was happy with Johnny.

He made her laugh on her worst days, he'd act like a total idiot out in public and most of the time that would annoy her but the other times it would be the most entertaining thing she had. He was artistic and inventive.

"But he's not Ezra." Hanna stated, as if reading her mind. "No, but that doesn't mean he isn't a decent guy." Aria defended.

"I think what she meant was, we all kind of expected you'd be-" Spencer started before being cut off by Aria.

"Pregnant with my former teacher's kid?"

The table was silent, Aria sighed, "I'm sorry...I shouldn't of snapped."

"I take it today's been a rough one?" Emily looked at Aria, she simply nodded. "You can say tht again."

xxxx

A/N: not too long, I know. But at least y'all can see how their lives are played out. The Brew is next whoop whoop.  
Hope y'all enjoyed this chapter and as always, review :) 


	4. Chapter 4

A few hours later Aria was still out and about, this day was very packed,but what did she expect? It was Rosewood after all.

Walking by the Brew, she stopped at the window. She looked inside and saw Ezra helping Talia and the other girl close up.

Before thinking about it, Aria walked through the doors and sat her purse on the counter.

"Anything I can help with?"

Ezra turned around, quickly shooting her a smile. "Unless you wanna clean up the kitchen and stack chairs, I think we're good."

Aria looked around the room then pointed to a neatly set up book display. "I could fix that!"

Ezra looked at the books then back at Aria, giving her a confused look.  
Aria walked over to them and pushed the books over. "Whoops."

"Amanda, you and Talia can head out. I've got this." Ezra looked towards the girl cleaning off a table behind him.  
She simply nodded then walked to the back to get Talia.

Ezra crossed his arms, watching as Aria put the books in the exact order they were. "That was completely pointless, you realize that, right?"

Aria nodded, "I wanted an excuse to stay longer than I should. If I screw something up I have to fix it." She sat down on the couch by the coffee table with the books.

Ezra sat down beside her, leaning back. "I feel like that was supposed to mean more than just knocking things over."

Aria sighed, looking back at Ezra. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't of-"

"Aria, it's okay. It's been a year, I think we can move past it."

Before she graduated, Aria wrote a letter to a college. That letter contained things that were never true, things that she wished she hadn't wrote.

She decided to show Ezra the letter, wanting him to find out from her what it said and not anyone else.

At first it seemed like everything was okay, everything was fine. But then he read it again and put his own truth to what she denied.

She had missed so much of her high school years because of him, and he didn't want to hold her back. So he let her go.

She spent weeks trying to reconnect and trying to figure out where their relationship stood. One day he just came out and said it, they needed to break up. It wasn't what he wanted, he loved her, he still does, but it's what she needed.

She needed to grow and be her own person and that's what she's doing now, she's becoming the person she wants to be, nothing and no one holding her back.

"So..I was actually here earlier." Aria admitted, leaning back on the couch so she and Ezra could be face to face.

"Oh really?"

"Yeah...I like that you added a playlist, it gives this place a professional coffee shop turn book store vibe."

Ezra scoffed, looking at the coffee table in front of them

"I especially like track 3...and 7...and 10... And so on."

Ezra closed his eyes and nodded, it was cheesey, it was tacky, and considering the timing of everything, it was awkward.

"B-26? That song has a lot of meaning." Aria went on, waiting for Ezra to jump in.

"Moment of weakness." He finally responded.

Don't do it, Aria. You yourself..  
"Oh, so that's all that song is? Weakness?" Aria retorted, "Aria I-" Ezra sat up to defend himself.

"No no, I get it. Believe me, I came here out of weakness. I was hoping to find my ex boyfriend." She stood up, looking Ezra up and down, shaking her head..

"I guess I need to keep looking.. Because this is not it." She stated firmly, walking towards the door.

Ezra jumped up and darted around the couch to get to the door before Aria could. "Why are you mad? You're the one that left, you're the one who-"

"You broke up with me! What was I supposed to do!? Huh?" She yelled, tears slowly filling her eyes. "Walk around town, watch you go about your life, get a new girlfriend, make something of yourself?" The words slowed down and got quieter as she spoke them.

A single tear rolled down Aria's cheek before the rest followed, "Look at this place," she motioned around the room. "it's everything you wanted it to be. You turned a crappy coffee shop into an amazing book store." She looked her head.

"What did I do? I went to 34 states and ate sushi out of the back of a van." She looked back up at Ezra, she looked tired, sad, and lost.

Like a puppy sitting in a box in the middle of a rain storm. Only Ezra was the person the puppy ran away from.

Then again, rain was always their thing..

"Aria, do you need a ride?" Ezra offered, leave it to Aria to make you feel bad after doing the right thing.

She simply shook her head, She gave him a sad smile before reaching for the door "Happy aniversary."

xxxxx

A/N: okay, so Johnny's name is spelt Jonny on the show, and apparently he isn't trust worthy. Whoops. I kinda like him still though. Whoops again.  
I hope y'all liked this chapter, I'll be working on the next on soon! So be sure to review and tell me what you think! 


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